By now, all those that care to know have learned that former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was sentenced to 14 years for his conviction on 18 counts, including bribery and attempted extortion. At his sentencing hearing he said, "I have nobody to blame but myself for my stupidity.” While most people would think that his “stupidity” refers to his dastardly deeds, I view it completely differently. I think it should refer to his allowing a letter from his daughter begging for mercy to be read in court. I blame him for that.
Blago’s daughter, Amy, 15, was not in court when her letter was read, but she and her younger sister had been in court during the trials.
She wrote:
“For the past three years, my world has been spinning out of control. But what has made it [bearable] has been that my father is home almost all of the time. He’s been here to teach me life lessons.
“I will not be able to handle my father not being around. It’s too drastic a change. I need him here. I need him here for my high school graduation. I need him here if I do not get into college. I’ve wanted to go to Northwestern since I was in the 6th grade.
“I’ll need him when my heart gets broken. I’ll need him here for my dog Skittles. “I need my father in my life.”
Amy should not have been asking Judge Zagel for mercy, she should have been asking her Father why he risked their family life by committing those crimes. Blago would have put his family first---if they were that important to him. He was the person who took the right away from his children to have their father around, not Judge James Zagel who sentenced him. Or as Zagel said, he “allowed his family to accept a risk that he would be caught and punished.”
I was close to Amy’s age when my Father died suddenly of a heart attack while on a business trip. My Father did not attend my high school graduation; he did not see me get accepted into college and was not there to hold me when my heart was broken.
My Father did nothing wrong, yet my sister and I were sentenced to a lifetime without a Dad. Amy should feel lucky that her father is only gone for 14 years and at some point will actually come home.
My heart breaks for his children...but he taught them a very valuable lesson of doing right and the cost of doing wrong. Our court system doesn't always work, but I'm glad that this time it did.
ReplyDeleteYOU ARE CORRECT (as usual).
ReplyDeleteI don't think the effect of the sentence on his family should enter into any sentence.Lots of convicted criminals have family at home.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I view the sentence as too harsh in light of the current state of affairs in Illinois and this country. Deals are constantly made behind closed doors. Blago was dumb enough to use a telephone. It wasn't right what he did, but I view it as politics as usual. That brings up the question also of why any governor should have the power to make such an appointment.
As far as the sentence is concerned, killers get shorter sentences. The system is very botched up.
Morgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com
As always-- You are correct.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately ,there is frequently collateral damage and in this case it is the children.
Before sentencing, defendants trot out character witnesses to try to mitigate the sentence. It’s the equivalent of a hail-mary-pass.
He got what he deserved. The fact that murderers serve less time is the fault of the system.
Now, on to the Jackson trial.
Amen!!!
ReplyDeleteI was reading the daughter's letter thinking in my head, my kids lost their father and he did nothing wrong except get leukemia. I'm so glad you put that last sentence in.
ReplyDeleteMorgan, the problem isn't that Blago's sentence is too harsh, it's that others are too soft. He was convicted of 18 felonies!
ReplyDeleteAgain, the problem is that the sentences for other "violent" crimes are way too soft. In my book, if you are convicted of 1st degree murder with indisputable evidence, boom death penalty, rapists should be locked up for life (I'm also fine with executing them too); armed robbery, drug dealing, etc should get about 20-25 years, etc. We're too easy on career criminals who just end up living off of entitlements when their not in jail anyway.
This is not the first of your posts I've read, and you never cease to amaze me. Thank you, and I look forward to reading more.
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